The Meteora’s largest monastery looks down on Kastraki from the highest rock in the valley (613m). Founded by St Athanasios in the 14th century, it grew rich and powerful after Serbian emperor Symeon Uroš donated his wealth to the monastery. Visitors can view the large katholikon (church) topped by a magnificent 12-sided dome, and the unchanged 16th-century kitchen, plus a museum devoted to the struggle for Greek independence and WWII.
Moni Megalou Meteorou
Meteora
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.07 MILES
Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…
0.45 MILES
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…
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0.24 MILES
The 15th-century Moni Agiou Nikolaou is the first monastery you reach from Kastraki, 1km from the village square. Many visitors, keen to press on to the…
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23.95 MILES
The Tossizza family mansion conjures life in this mountain town: a cosy dream of fireplaces and gorgeous carpets, and the reality of being snowbound for…
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0.22 MILES
Beside the road a few hundred metres short of Moni Megalou Meteorou, Moni Varlaam was first occupied by the hermit Varlaam around 1350. It’s now…
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1.52 MILES
This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…
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14.32 MILES
Trikala's best museum, housed in the city’s former Ottoman baths (later a prison), houses an intriguing and unusual mixture of exhibits. Displays…
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1.36 MILES
High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…
Nearby Meteora attractions
0.22 MILES
Beside the road a few hundred metres short of Moni Megalou Meteorou, Moni Varlaam was first occupied by the hermit Varlaam around 1350. It’s now…
0.24 MILES
The 15th-century Moni Agiou Nikolaou is the first monastery you reach from Kastraki, 1km from the village square. Many visitors, keen to press on to the…
3. Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou
0.45 MILES
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…
0.48 MILES
Towering above the northern end of Kastraki, Doupiani Rock became home to the region’s first church, Panaghia Doupani, in the late 12th century. Hermits…
0.55 MILES
For a panoramic break while visiting the monasteries, visit the clifftop Psaropetra Lookout, 650m south (right) from the fork in the road where continuing…
6. Meteora Geological History Museum
0.73 MILES
Across from Kastraki’s village church, this simple museum tells the story of the Meteora, from the very beginning of the universe. Panel displays explain…
0.91 MILES
A striking solitary rock column known as the adhrakhti (‘obelisk’) commands the skyline as you look up the valley from Kastraki village. Considered the…
0.91 MILES
This striking cave chapel, set high on the eastern flank of the Pixari rock face and recognisable by its array of coloured scarves, is visible from the…